Sertanejo
tagStarted 1929Peak 1990s-2010sLast big hit still activeFrom BrazilSung in Portuguese
Located in 2 routes
Brazil's country music: rural caipira duos in close two-part harmony over viola caipira (ten-string guitar) and accordion, evolving into glossy stadium pop. From mournful sertanejo raiz ballads to the danceable, romantic sertanejo universitário with pop production, it's the best-selling popular genre in modern Brazil.
History
Cornélio Pires recorded the first caipira music in 1929; Tonico e Tinoco consolidated the rural duo tradition from the 1940s. Chitãozinho & Xororó modernized it with pop and country arrangements in the 1980s, and in the late 2000s sertanejo universitário (Michel Teló, Munhoz & Mariano) exploded with young, danceable, romantic hits.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Wikipedia: Sertanejo music
- Revista Bula: A história da música sertaneja
- Rio & Learn: Sertanejo